World’s leading farm animal welfare organisation to support documentary that follows a Scottish farm pioneering a scalable farming system that lets dairy cows be mothers.
Compassion in World Farming has become an Official Partner for A Dairy Story, the documentary feature film about Rainton Farm’s pioneering cow-with-calf dairy system in Dumfries & Galloway, Scotland.
The 78-minute documentary follows David and Wilma Finlay who spent two decades developing Europe’s first commercially viable cow-with-calf dairy system. In conventional dairy farms, calves are separated from their mothers within hours of birth, while at Rainton Farm they stay together for six months. The farm was previously the home of a Galloway ice cream visitor attraction, and is now known for its artisan cheese, The Ethical Dairy.
As Official Partner, Compassion in World Farming will support the promotion and distribution of the film by sharing news and information about the documentary through their extensive communications channels to help it reach new audiences.
Compassion in World Farming is the world’s leading farm animal welfare organisation with a global community of more than a million supporters. It campaigns peacefully to end factory farming and create sustainable food systems that benefit animals, people, and the planet.
Compassion was founded in 1967 by Peter and Anna Roberts, Hampshire dairy farmers who had become alarmed by the intensification of the dairy industry. It has since grown into an influential global charity with a presence spanning the USA, China, South Africa and across the EU.
Anthony Field, Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, said: “We were founded nearly sixty years ago by Peter and Anna Roberts, dairy farmers who could no longer ignore the harms caused by the rapid intensification of the industry they loved. Supporting A Dairy Story feels especially fitting for us, because it shines a light on farmers who are once again challenging the status quo and proving that a more sustainable and compassionate model is possible. Rainton Farm’s cow-with-calf system shows the kind of ingenuity and courage our founders championed, and we’re proud to help bring their story to audiences across the world.”
Director of A Dairy Story, Ian Findlay, said: “I’m delighted that Compassion in World Farming has become an Official Partner of the film. It’s exciting that an organisation of their standing and influence is choosing to champion our documentary, and we are looking forward to working with them to raise awareness of Rainton Farm’s story.”
The film’s Producer, Lorna Young, added: “We made this documentary because we believed David and Wilma’s story deserved to be told. The rapid growth in interest in cow-with-calf dairy farming across Europe in recent years suggests this is a new segment of the dairy industry that is quickly gaining traction. Working with Compassion in World Farming feels like a natural next step, and we’re pleased to have their support in taking the film to new audiences.”
The partnership comes as A Dairy Story enters a new phase of its distribution campaign. Now BBFC-certified for UK-wide cinema release, the film will have its English premiere at Ramsgate International Film & TV Festival on Saturday 28th March, and it continues to screen at USA film festivals.
Compassion’s backing of the film comes in the wake of growing momentum for the cow-with-calf dairy farming model. Earlier this month practitioners from Germany, Australia, the USA and Canada gathered in Lievelde, in the Netherlands, for the first international conference on calf-at-foot dairying. Among the speakers was Charles Ellett, dairy manager at Rainton Farm and a central figure in A Dairy Story, whose appearance alongside farmers from four continents reflects the global reach of a movement the film was among the first to document.
Rainton Farm says their cow-with-calf dairy system brings multiple benefits, including improved productivity and resilience, and more than doubling the productive life of cows through a low-stress management system designed around the animals’ maternal instincts.
A Dairy Story is directed by Ian Findlay and produced by Lorna Young of Laverock Productions, based in Dumfries. Following a local cinema run in Dumfries & Galloway during January and February, plans for wider release of the film are currently being confirmed. For more details about the film and future screening dates visit www.adairystory.com
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A Dairy Story Synopsis
Every day, thousands of dairy calves are separated from their mothers at birth. A Dairy Story follows a husband-and-wife team as they risk everything to prove there’s another way.
David and Wilma Finlay have transformed their farm in southwest Scotland from conventional to regenerative and, most radically, pioneering commercial scale cow-with-calf dairy farming. Filmed over two years, A Dairy Story shows their determination to reinvent dairy farming by putting nature and animal welfare first. Following calves from birth to weaning, we see the herd’s profound capacity for maternal care in the sweeping beauty of the Scottish landscape.
This is a story about the bonds that matter most. It addresses universal themes of connection, and topics of animal sentience, the environment and system change. A Dairy Story shows how changing a farming system changes everything; from the lives of the animals to the wellbeing of the farmers, and perhaps even the future of dairy farming itself.
A Dairy Story is a 78-minute documentary, directed by Ian Findlay, and is his directorial debut. The trailer can be viewed at: https://youtu.be/LtbQE24Z-NI
Photos
A selection of high-res stills, film artwork and photography are available for download at:
Contact
For screening enquiries, press materials, or interview requests with the farm team or the filmmakers, contact Lorna Young at info@laverockproductions.com or call 07872 492 283
Interview Opportunities By Arrangement
- David Finlay, farmer at Rainton Farm and the primary subject of the documentary.
- Charles Ellett, the dairy manager at Rainton Farm and an advocate for cow-with-calf dairy farming.
- Anthony Field, Head of Compassion in World Farming UK
Notes to Editors
- Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer who became horrified at the development of intensive factory farming. Today Compassion is the leading farm animal welfare organisation dedicated to ending factory farming and achieving humane and sustainable food. With headquarters in the UK, we have offices across Europe, in the US, China and South Africa. To find out more about Compassion in World Farming visit: www.ciwf.org.uk
- A Dairy Story is a 78-minute documentary produced by Laverock Productions Ltd, certified PG by BBFC.
- The film premiered at IndieCork Film Festival where it won the Louis Marcus Award for Best Documentary. It then won the Audience Award at its UK premiere at Central Scotland Documentary Festival.
- The film premiered in the USA in February, where it continues its film festival run, with particular interest from California, the USA’s largest dairy producing state.
- David Finlay was awarded an Honorary Fellowship by SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) in September 2025 for his contribution to sustainable agriculture.
- David and Wilma Finlay’s pioneering work has been recognised by multiple industry awards, including the Special Recognition award at the Soil Association’s BOOM Awards 2025, Holyrood’s Net Zero Award and the Outstanding Achievement award at VIBES, Scotland’s environmental business awards. David Finlay also won the Farmer of the Year Award at the 2019 CEVA Animal Welfare Awards.
- Wilma Finlay died on 30 March 2025.
- There is no family connection between director, Ian Findlay, and the subjects of the documentary, despite sharing a similar surname.